Bus station display takes the Windows 10 road to nowhere

BORK, BORK, BORK! There was a time when information boards were handwritten or paper-based affairs. Then departure information was shown on split-flap displays, which made a satisfying tick sound as the display changed. Pixel-based boards followed (we took a look at the excellent take-home-and-keep versions by UK Departure …

[Bebu sa Ware]

There is a certain elegance

to the empty screen with a faint window in the background that seems to be lit by the reality just on the other side from this irreality.

Normally any Windows since v.7 looks like a Pound Shop sales catalog, or now the Rego home page, namely like a mad woman's breakfast.

The relative serenity of a mostly featureless background with a smattering of icons along the top left edge (presumably the rest of icons buggered off earlier to the pub) is reminiscent of earlier MacOSX around 10.4.

[parrot]

Nostalgia

Of course the old Greyfriars bus station had no such problem, it was built in the seventies and had no windows at all.

(Unless you count the ones on the upstairs offices I suppose, but passengers were afforded no such luxury.)

Declared by the local press to be “a bus station deluxe”, sadly the brutalist behemoth did not impress for long. Most Northamptonians were pleased to see the demise of the old “mouth of hell” but now there are some regrets. When asked in consultation what they’d like the vacant Greyfriars site to be used for a new bus station is by far the most popular answer.

The derelict plot has been empty for over a decade now. One eyesore replaced by another. Northgate a bit too small and similarly neglected as Greyfriars was. The future is not what it used to be. But at least the toilets take contactless?

[FirstTangoInParis]

Just say no

The 11th commandment: thou shalt not use Windows (or indeed ANY off the shelf OS terminal) for digital display. Anyone who does so is a cowboy who will want to charge you when it goes wrong, because it will.

Do your homework or pay someone to build you a bullet proof digital display system. Then it won’t feature in this column.

Here endeth the lesson.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Just say no

A Zammo Maguire approved message... Just think of the kiddies

AC Obvs

[502 bad gateway]

Seemingly fitting

If only this didn't seem so symptomatic of the general direction of travel for UK public transport policy... One last wheeze before it emits the final sigh and rolls over to die. Perhaps a Friday beverage might sort things out, cheer the mood up a bit... it's getting close to that time again. :D

[Paul Herber]

"... no feathered friend ..."

How about a couple of penguins?

[Mast1]

Being flightless, how could they get atop the screen........... unless there was a flood coming ?

Are you a carpenter ?

[Paul Herber]

Network bridge.

Simples.

[parrot]

Surely a talking bird would be more useful? It could make announcements.

Squawk!

[Briantist69]

Stratford City Bus station in London has a big screen with an error. How is this not news?

Stratford International NR station's status screen said "Windows detected a hard disk problem

Back up your files immediately to prevent information loss, and then contact the computer manufacturer to determine if you need to repair or replace the disk."

How was that not news?

[cyberdemon]

How was that not news?

Because you didn't take a pic and send it in to the Register, obvs

[Bob Royal]

Re: You didn't take a pic

Perhaps Briantist69 is one of the five people left in UK who doesn't use a stupid smart phone/camera/internet browser/record player/spy thingy.

Personally, I'm waiting for one with built-in fax before succumbing.

[parrot]

BIAS!

Typical mainstream media controlling the narrative. While the debate whether hostile architecture in Northampton conflicts with pigeons rights to sit and defecate on signage rages on, DOZENS of people’s frustrated tuts and sighs in Stratford go entirely unreported.

You can’t trust the mainstream. Have to check your socials for the real news.

[Carnotaurus]

It fits the site's narrative.

The app that was supposed to display the schedules possibly crashed and didn't restart. But of course the Reg's usual crowd will blame Microsoft for it.